Cracked, split, peeling and broken finger and toe nails and equine hooves are not only unsightly, but a nuisance that can be painful and even crippling. Such conditions provide entry opportunities for infections, and foreign bodies such as sand which can lead to deep abscesses in horses hooves.
The hard outer shells of nails and hooves are composed mainly of long, tubular strands of protein called keratin. The tubular strands are made up of long chains of amino acids called peptides, or polypeptides. Under normal conditions, the peptide chains are held tightly by linking together, or twining, with the aid of water and minerals which help form strong bonds. Damage to keratinous tissues and their adjacent structures often occurs in apparently normal, healthy individuals, as opposed to conditions of illness or nutritional deficiencies. Some factors that are known to damage such proteins are heat, acid or alkaline compounds and urea. Fortunately, if the damage is not too severe, the effects can be reversed.
Environmental factors such as over-exposure to dry, arid, low humidity areas cause the keratinous fibers to shrink, pull apart, and become hard and brittle. Conversely, over-exposure to extremely wet, humid areas cause keratinous fibers to swell excessively, leaving the structure to soft and friable to withstand normal usage. Both conditions expose surface keratins and deep inner tissues to bacteria and other elements that can cause additional damage.
The relative inactivity of confined horses that minimizes blood circulation and natural abrasion, compared to that of horses in their natural, wild environment, is a major contributing factor to problem hooves. In the case of more confined horses, exposure to highly alkaline or acidic soils, and constant contact with bacteria, fungi and molds, stalls and corrals that are too dry or wet with urine and manure are additional factors that can contribute to problem hooves.
Gelatin and other hydrolyzed proteins, amino acids, urea, tars, fats and oils, vitamins, clays, resins, nitrocellulose, cholesterol, esters, alcohols, polymer emulsions, and phenols are only a few of the compounds added to formulations for hooves and nails.
Soaps, detergents, acid and alkaline compounds, organic solvents, acrylics, vinyls, lacquers, bacteria, fungi, and a plethora of chemicals and elements, unknowingly in daily use in lotions, potions and polishes, as well as, in the atmosphere conceivably contribute to the loss of integrity of keratinous tissues.
Daily doses of vitamins A, E and biotin are frequently recommended or incorporated into formulations to improve nail or hoof conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,958 recommends taking daily oral doses of a multi-vitamin mixture, plus many other adjuvants, and especially containing specific amounts of trigonelline and vitamin B-6 for a minimum of 20 days to begin seeing benefits. The present invention gives obvious results in about one week, and does not assume vitamin deficiencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,721 recommends rubbing nails for one-half minute each, twice a day, with dolomite powder to reduce peeling and cracking after a few weeks. This method is tedious and time consuming, and does not address the underlying causes and effects of damage as does the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,609 uses a hot oil and water treatment for dry, brittle nails and cuticle that involves a bath for holding the hot mixture and a cuticle stick. The oil mixture contains animal and vegetable oils, emollients, vitamins, protein hydrolysates, an antioxidant and fragrance, in which the fingernails are soaked 3-5 minutes for a recommended 28 treatments. The present invention requires no equipment or tools, does not use an emulsion of oils, etc., is quick, clean and easy to use, and would not present the problem of disposing used oils.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,828 describes usage of an emulsion composed of soap, urea, hydrolyzed animal protein, oil, cholesterol, and other compounds to produce creams or lotions. Rubbing the cream or lotion into the nails is said to relieve dry, brittle nails for 4-6 hours. The present invention contains no ingredients that might cause further denaturation of proteins; contains no emulsion of oil and water that might be only slowly absorbed, but uses instead short chain fatty acids that are combined to water soluble compounds that are readily absorbed; improvements last for days to weeks; application is quick, easy and not messy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,261 presents a cosmetic, nail polish, composition said to have a high safety factor against peeling of dry nail tips. While their complex formulation might be beneficial for persons using nail polishes by reason of personal preference. The present invention not only provides strong healthy nails for non-cosmetic users, it also provides a strong base for persons who do use nail polishes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,651 addresses similar problems in horses hooves by using oil and water emulsions to which a medicinal compound is added, then all is mixed into a pine tar carrier that is added to a filler of polyolefin fibers to provide a packing for the bottom of hooves. This is definitely messy compared to the clear, clean, aqueous solution of the preset invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,043 presents a composition to correct dry hooves by applying an emulsion of triglycerides, from animal or vegetable oils, polysaccharides and water formulated into a cream that also contains emollients, antioxidants, antimicrobials, flyspray, silicone oil and other adjuvants. Emphasis was placed on the importance of an oleic:linoleic acid ester ratio equal to or greater than one. Polysaccharides were seen as the principle water incorporating compounds, and silicone oil was used to minimize dirt cling to the hoof wall. Daily application and buffing were required for three weeks followed by application 3 to 5 times per week to maintain healthy hooves. The present invention takes advantage of the anti-static properties of a non-ionic surfactant to minimize dirt cling and to aid in water incorporation into inner structures of the hoof. The antimicrobial agent used in the present invention is also an antifungicidal compound the kills and inhibits recurrence of thrush, one of the most common hoof infections. The ease of use, and long lasting residual activity minimizes the number of daily applications and subsequent maintenance applications required by the present invention.
Cuticle softeners or removers traditionally used strongly alkaline solutions which cause the cells to swell, making the tissue easier to remove by cutting or pushing back. Among the chemicals used were aqueous potassium hydroxide, trisodium phosphate, and triethanolamine. Understandably, these chemicals can be irritating to the skin around the nails. The present invention is not irritating, being a dilute aqueous solution having a pH around neutral. It also contains a desquamating component that minimizes cuticle without cutting or pushing back, and it also contains a component to help maintain a softness to the cuticle.
The safety of products is of great concern to users of cosmetics and cosmetologists, as well as, horse owners, veterinarians, and those concerned with the environment and disposal of used chemicals, Hygiene is another area of concern. To minimize the insidious effects of bacteria and fungi is to promote the health of nails and hooves. The principle compound of the present invention addresses both the safety and hygienic problems directly and efficiently.
The antimicrobial agent used in the present invention was developed in 1993, U.S. Pat. No. 2,108,765 and in 1934, U.S. Pat. No. 2,152,047 as a preservative and disinfectant. The compound was found to be useful as a preservative for meats and vegetables, thus demonstrating its long lasting, residual effects as observed in our testing. It was projected at that time to possibly be useful as a disinfectant in cosmetics such as face powders, face waters, gargles and the like, and for hyperidrosis.
The antimicrobial agent used in the present invention was selected from the class of quaternary ammonium compounds because of its widespread usage and proven safety. It has been used world-wide in hospitals, clinics and veterinary services as a pre-surgical scrub to facilitate removal of dirt, bacteria and desquamating epithelium. It has been used for irrigation of eyes, ears, and other mucous membranes. Purification of water supplies, detergent disinfectants, and sanitizers, are only a few additional uses of this compound. It is a broad spectrum bacteriocide, fungicide and virucide that is effective in very dilute solution, e.g., 1:500 to 1:40,000, or 0.2% to 0.0025%, respectively. Individual sensitivity to the compound is rare. Thus, the safety for all concerned and the hygienic properties of the most active component of the formula are well established.
In addition to the disinfecting properties, it has been shown that quaternary ammonium compounds such as the one used in the present invention can combine with proteins and can catalyze cross linking of peptide chains which affects strong stability.
Loss of water and/or lipids from keratinous tissues, or their adjacent structures would result in inactivation of metabolic systems. Peptide chains would shrink in diameter, shorten and pull apart exposing inner structures to microorganisms and other environmental factors to further interrupt the normal activity of metabolism. Excessive moisture, which causes welling and softening of the fibers, similarly expose inner structures to environmental factors that interrupt normal functioning of systems. The metabolic activity of electrolysis, oxidation and reduction, energy production, nutrient transport, and water barriers would all be interrupted, and the compositional balance and functions of normal healthy tissues would not be attained.
Emulsions of long chain (C-14-C-18) animal and/or vegetable oils and water are slow to breakdown, and they are usually further stabilized with compounds to prevent breakdown, additionally delaying any possible absorption. The present invention uses shorter chain (C-9-C-16) fatty acids combined with cyclic components that are water soluble and easily absorbed together with water, thereby, being available to supply energy or enter into any of the other functions of lipids and cyclic compounds.
The present invention corrects many problems of the prior art by re-establishing compositional balance and normal functions of keratinous tissues and their adjacent structures. Application of the composition described herein is by dropper bottle or spraying a clear, clean, aqueous solution. The solution is rapidly absorbed (about 1 minute for nails and about 3 minutes for hooves). Noticeable improvement in nail and hoof condition can usually be seen in 7-10 days. Residual effects are long lasting and may require reinforcement only once or twice a week depending on changing environmental conditions and usage. Fungal and/or bacteriocidal invasions of both surface and deep tissues are stopped in one or two treatments and re-infections minimized by the residual effects of the principal component and establishment of healthy tissues.